Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Cooking Basics (Part 1)

By Owen Jones


Without a doubt, the greatest problem confronting the human race is the growing of sufficient food for the population of the world. After all, food, including water, is the one thing that we can not do without. Everyone has to eat enough, although lots of individuals do eat too much every day. However, it is not just a question of putting something or enough in our mouths, the food has to provide enough energy and adequate nutrients.

Our bodies need the nutrients it has to have to permit it to fight off attacks from disease, repair itself if it temporarily loses one of those battles and to only grow as we mature from childhood. We also need nutrients and energy to be able to get around, do our job and raise our offspring. Therefore, in order to get the most out of life, we all need to eat enough food of the correct quality.

However, having enough of the correct sort of food is only part of the problem. You also have to know how to get the most out of that food by serving it in the correct manner and combining it with appropriate foods. This usually involves cooking.

Therefore, the ability to cook is one of the most important skills that a person can acquire otherwise many of the nutrients will be wasted and so costly food will be lost as well. However, cooking does not only mean preparing the ingredients in the correct manner so as not to waste nutrients, it also means providing the complete assortment of nutrients and fibres that we require over the period of, say, a week.

Cooking has traditionally been seen as a woman's occupation in most parts of the world but this is understandable because women were frequently at home with children for a large part of their early lives, however, that has changed in numerous societies. Since the introduction of the birth control pill, many women have taken on a different, more equal role in society. Not only that, but more and more people are choosing to live alone and indeed individuals are also living longer.

This all points to a requirement for everyone to learn how to cook. Every man an and woman should understand at least the essentials of cookery so that they can take care of themselves or / and take an dynamic part in taking care of their family. This is not an easy job, if you prefer to get it correct. In lots of societies, children begin helping their parents or grandparents prepare food from an early age.

This is something that went out of fashion in numerous Western countries in the Seventies and Eighties. Luckily, this trend is reversing, but what is noticeable is that young Asian people living in the East are shunning learning to cook as 'old fashioned' as they are becoming more affluent. This is a real shame , but we cannot expect Asian youth to learn from our mistakes.

The family cook has further responsibilities other than only those outlined above, the family cook also has to learn how to use the household budget judiciously. In lots of families, the food budget is the largest proportion of the absolute household budget. That is a big obligation. This just emphasizes the importance of cooking in the right manner, procuring the most nutrients possible from food and minimizing waste.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment